Reviewing the Best Queer/LGBTQ Fiction!

Tag: ann somerville

This is a light, happy, easy read that is sure to put you in a good mood. It’s also one of the few Somerville works which isn’t drenched in darkness and foreboding- and although I happen to like the darkness and foreboding, More Than A Thousand Words definitely made for a nice change.

There’s a lot to enjoy here: the writing is great, the pace is perfect, and the characters are very loveable. Luce is bright, temperamental, entertaining- and loves to wear skirts and nail polish. Steve is sturdy and adorably reliable- and 2000% just fine with whatever his unpredictable, gender-fluid boyfriend chooses to wear (indeed, those long, super-silky skirts are a real turn-on). They work together very well, and are sappy and sugary-sweet, in the best way possible. Which, of course, doesn’t mean they don’t have problems to work through- and it’s thoroughly satisfying to see the two work through them. Ultimately they’re the best kind of support for each other- and this is just the kind of romance I need regular injections of to keep my pessimism at bay.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a whole book in one sitting. Even if I wanted to, who has the time to do that these days?! Well, with this book I had no choice: I kept reading, and it was 4:34 am by the time I finished. …oops? But I’m sure I won’t be the only one compelled to keep reading and reading this story, and then feel bereft when it’s over.

Hidden Faults is set within Somerville’s vast (truly vast) “Periter” series, which spans centuries and jumps from one continent to another from book to book (and sometimes within books). I love visiting this world, but I don’t think readers will need to have read the others to become immersed in this story. Savvy readers will get right on board with the standard dystopian-like, repressive-manipulative government that the characters are fighting against here. If you have read other stories in this ‘verse, though, then this story will be a welcome addition, and a logical progression in its timeline.